Imbued with the courageous
spirit and hardy qualities of the true pioneer, James Oakes performed well his part, contributing toward the development
and utilization of the agricultural resources of Whatcom county, and an upright, useful life of quiet devotion
to duty won for him a high place in the esteem of his fellowmen. He was born November 4, 1845, on Prince Edward
island, Canada, and was a son of Samuel Oakes, a native of Ireland. In his youth he crossed the United States border
and lived for a time in Pennsylvania. He went to Michigan in 1877, when the forests were filled with valuable timber,
and was one of the early lumbermen of that state, in which he remained until the decline of the industry. In 1897
he joined the tide of immigration to the west and settled in Whatcom county, Washington. He acquired forty acres
of land in Mountain View township, which was then a frontier district, and diligently applied himself to the task
of clearing the place and preparing it for the production of the crops best adapted to the soil and climatic conditions
of this region. He was an untiring worker and through efficient methods and good management brought his land to
a high state of development, adding modern improvements from time to time.

In 1881, while living in Michigan,
Mr. Oakes married Miss Sarah Granger, who was born December 9, 1848, in the state of New York, and they became
parents of four sons, but Frank, the third in order of birth, is deceased. Fred, the eldest member of the family,
is a bachelor and lives on the homestead with his brother Abel, who has also remained single. Earl Melzar is associated
with his brothers in the operation of the home farm, to which eighty acres have been added, and in 1911 a fine
residence of nine rooms was erected on the property. The house contains the modern conveniences of a city dwelling
and the work of the farm is facilitated by the latest equipment and labor saving devices. Eighty acres of the place
are under cultivation and a herd of registered Holsteins is kept for dairy purposes. The rance ranks with the best
in the township and the sons are ably continuing the work begun by the father, keeping pace with the progress of
agriculture as a science.

James Oakes responded to the
final summons October 1, 1921, and on November 8, 1924, his widow passed away. He was a devoted husband and father,
a public-spirited citizen and a man of many friends. He was an adherent of the republican party and along fraternal
lines was connected with the Foresters and the Knights of the Maccabees. Earl M. Oakes is affiliated with the Fraternal
Order of Eagles and is also allied with the republican party, while all of the sons are valued members of the Whatcom
County Dairymen's Association.

Michael J. O'Connor, proprietor
of a well stocked grocery store at No. 1021 Elk street in Bellingham since 1918, has also occupied the presidency
of the Bellingham Retail Merchants Association during the past two years. His birth occurred in Ireland in the
year 1867, his parents being Joseph and Mary O'Connor, also natives of Ireland, and both now deceased. Joseph O'Connor
devoted his attention to general agriculture pursuits throughout his active career, and both he and his wife lived
to be nearly eighty-five years of age.

Michael J. O'Connor acquired
his education in a private school, and at the age of nineteen years he made his way to San Francisco, California,
where he entered the dry goods business. He was a young man of thirty-one when in 1898 he went to Alaska and embarked
in general merchandising at Douglas, where he thus continued in business until the year 1918. He also became a
factor in financial affairs, serving as the first president of the First Territorial Bank at Douglas, and figured
prominently in the public life of the municipality as its mayor for eight terms. Mr. O'Connor was likewise chosen
the first police judge of Douglas, where he resided for a period of two decades, and was widely recognized as a
leading, influential and valued citizen. It was in 1918 that he left Alaska and took up his permanent abode at
Bellingham, Washington. He purchased a grocery establishment at No. 1021 Elk street, where he has remained in business
continuously to the present time, carrying a complete line of staple and fancy groceries and being accorded an
extensive and profitable patronage. He enjoys an unassailable reputation for honesty and integrity in all his dealings
and is numbered among Bellingham's representative and prosperous merchants.

Mr. O'Connor was married to
Miss Pauline Garner, a native of Australia and a daughter of Dr. H. R. Garner, who was surgeon for the Carbon Hill
Coal Company and who is now deceased. In his political views Mr. O'Connor is a stanch republican, while fraternally
he is identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. All who know him -- and he has a wide acquaintance
-- attest his high personal worth and his progressive citizenship.

Distinguished for their industry,
thrift and honesty, which qualities in the inhabitants of any country will make that country prosperous and respected,
no people who have cast their lot in Whatcom county are more worthy of esteem than those of Norwegian blood. From
that nation came Birger Olsen, who is numbered among the successful farmers of Ferndale township, where he operates
a well-improved tract of land. Mr. Olsen was born in Norway, August 2, 1887, and is a son of Albert and Carrie
(Melker) Olsen, who were farming folk in their native land. The father also owned a fishing schooner and a few
small boats. He was in the United States a few years but eventually returned to Norway, where he now resides. To
him and his wife were born four children, Mrs. Alberta Brereton, Birger, Alfred and Hilmar.

Birger Olsen received a fair
education in the public schools of his native land, completing his education in the public schools of the United
States, to which he came in 1905. He came direct to Whatcom county and for five years was engaged in the fishing
and lumbering businesses. In 1910 he bought forty acres of land in Ferndale township, all covered with brush and
stumps, but he cleared it and has since devoted it to general farming, in which he has met with a very gratifying
measure of success. Besides raising all the crops common to this locality, he gives considerable attention to the
dairy business, owning fourteen good milk cows, some of them being thoroughbred Jerseys. He has made permanent
and substantial improvements on his place, which now compares favorably with the other ranches of his section of
the county. Mr. Olsen is still interested in the fish business and is engaged in that industry in Alaska. They
have a new, comfortable and attractive home, the other buildings on the place also being well built and commodious,
and modern and up-to-date machinery enables the work to be done at a minimum of labor and expense.

In April, 1910, Mr. Olsen
was married to Miss Bertha Waschke, a daughter of Gottlieb and Bertha (Matzke) Waschke, who were natives of Germany.
The father came to the United States in 1881, was married the following year, and for many years was a farmer in
Minnesota, having bought land there in 1886. Eventually he came to Whatcom county and bought one hundred and sixty
acres in Ferndale township, which he developed form a wilderness into a good farm, and there he is still living,
though he now owns but fifty acres of the original tract. To Gottlieb and Bertha Waschke were born ten children,
John, Gustav, Ernie, Lizzie, Henry, Ida, Elzie, Bertha, Marie and William. To Mr. and Mrs. Olsen have been born
four children, namely: Frances, born December 10, 1911; Clarice, January 31, 1913; Elva Gayle, November 17, 1914;
and Wilda. All are attending school. Mr. Olsen is a man of kindly spirit, friendly in his relations with his neighbors,
and accommodating when he can be of service to others. He stands for all that is best in community life and is
deservedly held in the highest esteem throughout the community. Mrs. Olsen is a lady of splendid personal qualities,
hospitable and generous, and is well liked by all who know her.

N. J. Olsen has spent many
years of his life in Whatcom county and his persistent and commendable efforts have benefitted himself and the
community alike. He has been successful in his individual affairs, and he has also used his influence wherever
possible for the promotion of enterprises calculated to be of lasting benefit to the community, besides taking
a leading part in all movements for the advancement of the locality along social and moral lines. He was here in
the pioneer period and has been a witness of the great changes that have taken place here during the last forty
years, having seen the wilderness give way to as fine farms as can be found in this section of the state. Mr. Olsen
was born in Bergen, Norway, on the 2d of September, 1865, and is a son of Joseph and Nicoline Olsen, both of whom
were lifelong residents of Norway, where they passed away. The father was a market gardener by occupation. To him
and his wife were born eight children, namely: Oliver, Andrew, N. J., Anders, Jenny, deceased, Anna, deceased,
Rachel and Nicoline. All of the living children, excepting the subject of this sketch, are still residing in their
native land.

N. J. Olsen was educated in
the public schools near his home and also attended a seminary for one and a half years, thus securing a good education.
During his school years he also had considerable cadet work. On completing his studies, Mr. Olsen took a position
as shipping clerk with C. Brandt, the largest furrier in Bergen, remaining with him for six years. In 1887 he came
to the United States, locating in Rushford, Fillmore county, Minnesota, where he was employed on farms for about
a year. He then went to St. Paul and took a position in the depot of the Great Northern Railroad, but he eventually
returned to Rushford and went to work on the farm of C. W. Gore, with whom he remained about a year. He next came
to Whatcom county and went to work for David Wight, a farmer, in the Nooksack valley, where he remained two years.
He also worked in the shingle mills and sawmills for the Gillies Manufacturing Company at Nooksack for several
years. About 1892 Mr. Olsen bought thirteen acres of land one mile north of Nooksack, to which he later added twenty
acres and then five acres, a total of thirty-eight acres. The land was thickly covered with cedar and fir timber
and brush, but he set himself to the task of clearing it off and getting the land in shape for cultivation. He
built a small house, which was later rebuilt and which was added to in 1907, making a very comfortable and commodious
home. He now has twenty acres of his land cleared and in cultivation, the remainder being in pasture. He keeps
twelve Jersey cows and a registered Jersey bull and has been very successful in the dairy business, in which he
specializes. His field crops are mainly hay, grain and peas, practically all of which he feeds to his stock. He
has used good judgment in all his operations and the prosperity which has crowned his efforts has been well deserved.

Mr. Olsen was married, October
15, 1896, to Miss Hilma Swanson, who was born at La Crosse, Wisconsin, a daughter of William and Charlotte Swanson,
the former of whom is still living, while the mother passed away October 8, 1921. They were the parents of eight
children, namely: Mrs. Ann Gillies, Hilma, Mrs. Selma Jones, Frank, Charles, deceased, Tilly, deceased, Mrs. Ida
Mason and Edward. The last named was born in Washington, the others having been born in Michigan and in Minnesota.
Mrs. Olsen's parents were both natives of Sweden and came to the United States in 1873. They settled in Marquette
county, Michigan, where they remained for nine years, and then moved to Minnesota, which was their home for seven
years, at the end of which time they came to Nooksack, Whatcom county. The father was a successful contractor and
builder until about 1921, when he retired from active business, and he is now living in Bellingham. To Mr. and
Mrs. Olsen have been born eight children: Josephine, who was graduated from high school and from the state normal
school, is now engaged in teaching in Charleston, Washington. William, who lives at Index, Washington, was graduated
from high school and had one year of normal school work. He is married and has two children, Grace and Robert.
Charles, who also was graduated from high and normal school, is at home. Archie, who had two years of high school
work, is now serving in the United States navy. Cecil had two years of high school work. Mildred is now in high
school, as is Hazel. Nellie is deceased.

Fraternally, Mr. Olsen is
a member of the Nooksack Lodge No. 192, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is a past master and is now secretary.
He has always taken a deep interest in public affairs, being especially earnest in his advocacy of improved roads
and good schools, and served for eight years as a member of the board of trustees of the Nooksack high school.
He is universally regarded as a good citizen, having ever shown a disposition to support all measures for the advancement
of the community, while in his own life he has exemplified the highest type of correct living. He is a friend to
all men and no citizen of this community is held in higher regard.

Agriculture has been an honored
vocation from the earliest ages, and the free out-of-door life of the tiller of the soil has a decided tendency
to foster and develop that independence of mind and self-reliance which characterize true manhood. The subject
of this sketch was reared to the life of a farmer, and though he has at times pursued other occupations he has
finally turned again to this basic industry and has attained a success fully commensurate with his efforts, being
now one of the successful and enterprising farmers of his community. A. J. S. Olson is a native of the state of
Nebraska, his birth occurring on the 30th of October, 1877, and he is a son of Swan and Anna Olson, both of whom
were natives of Sweden. They came to the United States in 1869, locating in Nebraska, where the father took up
one hundred and sixty acres of land in Washington county, of which locality he was a pioneer. He there created
a fine place, on which he lived until his death, which occurred February 14, 1898. H is survived by his widow,
who now lives in Seattle, Washington. They were the parents of five children, namely: Mrs. Christina Johnson, of
Seattle; Mrs. Edith Hartelins, of Seattle; Otto, who lives on the old homestead in Nebraska; A. J. S., the subject
of this sketch, and Edward, who lives in Nebraska.

A. J. S. Olson attended the
public schools of his native state and also had two years of work in a normal college there. He remained at home
until he attained his majority, when he engaged in the mercantile business in that sate in partnership with his
brother-in-law, Mr. Johnson. One year later he went to Ogden, Utah, and was engaged in railroad work for about
a year. In 1904 Mr. Olson came to Washington, stopping in Seattle a short time, and then went to Portland, Oregon,
where he worked for the Wells-Fargo Express Company for three years. At the end of that time he returned to Seattle,
where he remained until 1910. He then came to Sumas, Whatcom county, and bought eighty acres of land three miles
east of that place, sixty acres of which were cleared. Here he has met with pronounced success and has so improved
his farm as to place it among the most desirable ranches of the locality. He gives considerable attention to dairying,
for which purpose he keeps thirty good grade Jersey cows, ten head of young stock and a registered bull. He has
a good silo, for which he raises his own corn, and he raises good crops of hay, grain and peas, practically all
of which is fed to his stock. He is up-to-date in his methods, using a tractor in his land cultivation and also
operating a threshing machine.

On November 23, 1914, Mr.
Olson was married to Miss Jennie T. Waples, who was born in Chicago, Illinois, a daughter of Magnus and Anna (Robinson)
Waples, and to their unto have been born three children, namely: Dorothy Ann, born March 12, 1917; Marie Jeanette,
born July 2, 1918, and Albert Donald, born January 21, 1923. Mrs. Olson is a woman of splendid personal qualities
and has been a true helpmate to her husband in the best sense of the term. She came to Whatcom county in young
girlhood and has been a witness of the splendid development which has taken place here within her recollection.
Mr. Olson is a member of the board of directors of the Farmers Mutual Telephone Company and has taken a commendable
interest in everything pertaining to the welfare and prosperity of his community. He is a man of sterling character,
kindly and hospitable, and has deservedly won an enviable place in the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens.

It is always a pleasure to
revert to the life of a man who has spent his active years in the service of his fellowmen; who, unselfishly, has
sought to minister to those in need of spiritual guidance and who, unmindful of praise or blame, goes forward from
day to day in the performance of his humble duty. Such a man is Rev. E. O. Olson, who for many years successfully
devoted his life to the ministry and is now numbered among the public-spirited and progressive citizens of Whatcom
county. He was born in Sweden on the 19th of March, 1853, and is a son of Olaf Christian and Berta Olson. The family
came to the United States in 1881, locating in Minnesota, where the father's death occurred in 1905, the mother
dying in Whatcom county, Washington, in 1910.

E. O. Olson was educated in
the public schools of Sweden and after coming to this country completed his studies in the Swedish Seminary in
Nebraska. He then entered the ministry of the Swedish Baptist church, in which he spent many years of honorable
and successful effort. His first pastorate was at Albert Lea, Minnesota, where he remained for three years, followed
by two years in Saunders county, Nebraska. During the ten ensuing years he preached in Crawford county, Iowa, and
from there went to Cambridge, Minnesota, where he remained for three years, after which he spent two years in Spring
Vale, that state. His next pastorate was at Milaca, Minnesota, where he served for five years, at the end of which
time he came to Whatcom county, Washington, and ministered to the congregations at Delta and Sunrise for about
three years. Mr. Olson then went to Kitsap county, Washington and bought a ten acre farm, on which he lived about
four years, when he sold out and went to British Columbia, preaching and ministering to the church at Matsk for
four years. During the following year he was pastor of the church at Des Moines, Iowa, and then, in 1916, he returned
to Whatcom county and bought ten acres of land in Ferndale township. The tract was densely covered with brush and
stumps and to the clearing of this place he devoted himself, putting part of it under cultivation. Mr. Olson built
a comfortable and attractive home in 1918, erected a substantial barn in 1919, and constructed a good chicken house
in 1923. He keeps about four hundred laying hens and two cows, while his field products are diversified, being
principally hay and grain. He also has a good orchard, which adds materially to the value of his place. In 1916
Mr. Olson likewise bought forty acres of land in Mountain View township, near his home ranch, and he has cleared
eight acres thereof. He has worked hard since coming to this locality, but his labors have been abundantly rewarded.

In Ferndale Mr. Olson was
married to Mrs. Lisa M. Axlund, a native of Sweden, and they became the parents of ten children, namely: Alfred,
who was born in Sweden; Jennie deceased; Edith, who lives in Ferndale; Edgard, who lives at Blaine, Whatcom county;
Ellen, who lives in Seattle; Eldon, who lives in Delta; Esther, deceased; and three who died in infancy. Mr. Olson
is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and the Whatcom County Poultry Association, and he and
his wife are members of the Swedish Baptist Church at Ferndale. Mr. Olson is a cultured and well educated man and
a forceful speaker, and during the active years of his ministry he did much effective work, encouraging, stimulating
and building up the various churches which he served. He is a man of broad views and sound convictions and has
the courage of his opinions. He does not hesitate to advocate the things he believes to be best for the public
welfare, opposing those things which are detrimental to the best community life, and his estimable qualities of
character have been recognized and appreciated by his fellow citizens.

Among the citizens of Whatcom
county who have achieved success along steady lines of action stands John F. Oltman, whose industry and character
have gained for him the well merited respect of his fellow citizens. His career has been marked by hard work along
well directed lines, and he is now reaping the reward of his efforts and sound judgment, being numbered among the
enterprising and successful farmers of his locality. Mr. Oltman was born in Sherman county, Kansas, on the 1st
of October, 1896, and is a son of Bernhardt and Caroline (Meyers) Oltman. His mother, who now lives on her fine
farm near Lynden, was born in Zurich, Switzerland, and she was twice married, her first husband having been John
Brown. Bernhardt Oltman was born and reared in Germany, whence he came to the United States in 1875, locating in
Nebraska, where he remained for many years, following the trade of a carpenter. Later he homesteaded one hundred
and sixty acres of land in Kansas, where he remained about ten years and then, in 1900, came to Whatcom county.
After spending a year in Laurel, he bought sixty acres of land in Lynden township, to the clearing and draining
of which he devoted himself untiringly, until eventually he had forty acres cleared and in cultivation, ten acres
of timber being retained, while the remainder was partly cleared. He made many fine improvements on the place and
developed it into a valuable and attractive farm, to the operation of which he devoted himself up to the time of
his death, which occurred in June, 1922. To him and his wife were born five children, namely: John F., the immediate
subject of this sketch; Mrs. Frances Fullner, of Lynden; Carl, of Lynden, who is married and has one child; Mrs.
Elsie Hitzmann, of Honolulu, Hawaii; and Herman, who lives on the home farm with his mother.

John F. Oltman secured his
education in the public schools and spent his early years on his father's farm, where he took an active part in
the clearing of the land. He then learned the trade of an automobile mechanic, which vocation he followed about
ten years, being in business for himself a part of that time. He still maintains a repair shop on his farm, where
during the winter seasons he does considerable repair work. He is an expert mechanic and takes a justifiable pride
in the quality of work turned out by him. During the World war Mr. Oltman desired to enlist in the Mechanics Division,
but the quota was full. Later he was called to military service, and he sold his effects preparatory to going,
but was later notified that he was not needed. In 1919 Mr. Oltman bought his present place, comprising forty acres
of land, onto which he moved in 1921. The place was badly run down and neglected, but he has devoted himself with
fine results in the clearing and draining of the land, having removed the timber and brush from ten acres and drained
twenty acres. The buildings have been remodeled and improved and a new silo built, so that he is now well equipped
for his dairy and poultry operations, to which he gives that major part of his attention. He keeps ten high grade
Guernsey cows and a fine flock of laying hens, from both of which sources he derives a comfortable income. He raises
hay and grain and has been successful in the raising of high grade potatoes.

In 1920 Mr. Oltman was married
to Miss Beatrice Anderson, who was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1895, a daughter of Andrew and Annie (Brandon)
Anderson, both of whom are now living at Mt. Vernon. Mr. and Mrs. Oltman have one child, Gene. Mr. Oltman has proven
himself a splendid citizen, progressive in his business affairs, public-spirited in his attitude toward all measures
for the advancement of the community, and genial and friendly in his social relations. These qualities have won
for him an enviable place in the confidence and good will of the entire community in which he lives.

The late George Omli, who
died at his farm home near Ferndale, January 31, 1921, was one of the pioneers of Whatcom county and had done well
his part in development work here. It is thus but proper that in this history of the county in which he long made
his home there should be presented some slight tribute to his memory. Mr. Omli was of European birth but had been
a resident of this country since the days of his young manhood and of Whatcom county since 1889, having come here
with his family about the time the agricultural development of this region began, and the remainder of his life
wa devoted to the task of clearing and improving the place on which he settled some time after coming here. Mr.
Omli was born in the kingdom of Norway, November 18, 1845, and was thus in his seventy-sixth year at the time of
his death. He was reared in his home land and was there educated for teaching but did not follow that profession.
In 1869, when in his twenty-fourth year, he came to the United States on a prospecting trip, joining that great
stream of Scandinavian immigration which set in toward the northwest country here about that time. He located in
Wisconsin, where in the next year he was joined by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Omli, and the other members
of the family, which contained nine children. Thomas Omli and his wife spent the remainder of their lives in Wisconsin,
and the family is still well represented there.

George Omli engaged in farming
in Wisconsin and was thus occupied in that state for seventeen years, at the end of which time he moved to Baker
county, Minnesota, and there resided for something more than two years. In 1889 he came with his family to Whatcom
county, arriving at Bellingham bay on November 11 of that year. For a while he was engaged in railway construction
work at Happy Valley and then settled down to farming, starting as a renter on the Hoferkamp [Hofercamp]
place and later going to the farm of Samuel Barrett, then county auditor, where he remained for five years. He
then operated the Archie Morrison place for a season, and later for five years occupied the Sneat place. In 1902
he bought the forty acres now occupied by his family, established his home there and on that place spent the remainder
of his life, becoming a successful dairy farmer. Since his death his widow continues to make her home there and
with those of her children who remain at home is energetically carrying on operations, having a good dairy plant
and a fine start in the poultry business. Mrs. Omli and her two daughters at home are members of the local Grange
of the Patrons of Husbandry, and she also is a member of the Whatcom County Dairymen's Association and of the Poultry
Association. The family is affiliated with the Lutheran church.

It was on October 3, 1884,
at Black River Falls, Jackson county, Wisconsin, that George Omli was united in marriage to Miss Julia Thompson,
and to that union were born eleven children, seven of whom were born in Whatcom county, Mr. and Mrs. Omli having
had four children when they came here in 1889. Mrs. Omli also is a native of the kingdom of Norway and was but
a child when she came to this country with her parents, Alex and Rainae (Drangstevet) Thompson, the family locating
in Wisconsin, where she received her education. Her father became a substantial farmer in Wisconsin and in
1890 joined the party with which the Omlis also were identified and came to Whatcom county. Her mother's last days
were spent in Ferndale and her father died in Seattle. All of Mrs. Omli's children are living save one, Thomas
Omli, the firstborn, who died November 25, 1913. Her second son, Albert Omli, continues to reside on the home place.
Sophie, the eldest daughter, married George Peterson, now supervisor of Mountain View township, and has five children.
Oscar Omli, the third son, is unmarried and continues to make his home on the home place. Rachel, the next daughter,
married John Macauley of South Bellingham and has a son. Carl Omli is unmarried and lives at home, giving his attention
chiefly to the fisheries. Clara has been twice married and by her first husband has three sons. She now is the
wife of a Mr. Bertrand, of Seattle. Emma is the wife of Raymond Hemme, a Pleasant Valley farmer. Robert Omli, the
youngest son, is at home with his mother. Miss Anna Omli is now living in Seattle, and Ella, the youngest daughter
and last born of this interesting family, married Harry Welch and is living in Bellingham.

Albert Omli, the eldest son,
was born at Blair, Trempealeau county, Wisconsin, December 28, 1885, and was thus four years of age when in 1889
his parents established their home in this county. He grew up here, thoroughly familiar with pioneer conditions.
He was educated in the Ferndale schools, going to the school that then was being conducted on the east side of
the river, and from the days of his boyhood he was a helpful factor in the labors of his father's farm, always
working on the farm during the winter. For nine consecutive summers, ending in 1921, Mr. Omli and his brothers
Oscar and Carl were employed in Alaskan operations, logging or fishing, the greater part of the time being spent
in the employ of the Pacific-American Fisheries, and four of these summers were spent in Behring sea. The leisure
he now has from the operations of his mother's dairy farm is employed in the local "traps" of the Pacific-American
Fisheries, and he is an expert in these operations, as are his brothers. The three brothers, Albert, Oscar and
Carl, are members of the local aerie of the Fraternal Order of Eagles and are widely known throughout the countryside.